BlackBerry lays off unspecified number of employees globally

TORONTO (AP) BlackBerry says it is laying off an unspecified number of employees globally as it makes changes to the operations responsible for making its smartphones.

The Waterloo, Ontario-based company said in a statement Saturday that the job cuts will affect people who make the hardware, software and applications for its phones, including devices such as the BlackBerry Bold, Classic and Passport.

BlackBerry refused to say how many jobs were being cut, but said it's looking to reduce the size of its device operations and make it profitable again.

BlackBerry had about 7,000 global employees as of 2014. About half worked in Canada.

BlackBerry began to turn a small profit last year, but its overall revenues continue to decline.

At the peak of its success, the company had about 20,000 international employees.